A Gentle PhD Practice: Balancing Well-Being and Research

 With a starting point in your own experiences, we work with themes such as symptoms and sources of stress. We look at coping strategies and work-life balance. We explore how scientific doubt can be turned into a strength. We examine how to develop a writing and research practice that supports your well-being instead of inducing stress. We introduce the principles of gentle academic practice, including sustainable rhythms, compassionate productivity and writing as a reflective and caring practice. The day alternates between short presentations, plenary discussions, embodied exercises and group work.

Programme

09.30 – 10.45 Setting the scene

• Opening exercise; challenges, worries and best practices in the PhD process
• Presentation on academic work culture
• Plenary dialogue: What does it take to be a happy academic?

10.45 – 11.00 Break

11.00 – 12.30 Inspiration

Three themes are introduced followed by a groupwork in the afternoon where you can choose to go in depth with one of the themes.

1. Stress: Symptoms, sources, coping strategies and work-life balance
2. Supervision: Create a fruitful collaboration with your supervisors
3. Professional doubt: How to address doubt and transform doubt into a strength

12.30 – 13.15 Lunch break

13.15 – 14.15 Sharing experiences: Group work on one of the selected topics

14.15 – 14.35 Coffee and tea break

14.35 – 15.10 Feedback from the groups: Groups report back in a narrative form

15.10 – 15.45 Looking forward: Collaborative initiatives to support well-being